


The Sort of Detectives of Anomalies

by Eric_Hongjoong



Category: ATEEZ (Band), Dreamcatcher (Korea Band), ONEUS (Band), Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Blood and Injury, Break Up, Fluff, How Do I Tag, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Major Character Injury, Minor Character Death, Multi, Seonghwa is cold towards Hongjoong at the start, Slow Burn, Supernatural Elements, Violence, minor characters from other groups - Freeform, there wont be any though
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-12
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:01:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27526537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eric_Hongjoong/pseuds/Eric_Hongjoong
Summary: Kim Hongjoong, an ordinary human with a passion for music wants nothing more than just to get through his first year of college with his boyfriend by his side.That is until he meets his new mysterious roommate who seems to want nothing to do with him until certain circumstances happened that have them work together.Looks like Hongjoong won't be focusing too much on school, unfortunately...(On Hold)
Relationships: Choi Jongho/Song Mingi, Choi San/Jeong Yunho, Jeong Yunho/Kim Hongjoong, Jung Wooyoung/Kang Yeosang, Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa
Comments: 6
Kudos: 24





	1. Chapter One

I unloaded all my stuff from my car, staring at the apartment complex in front of me. The buildings weren’t built so long ago that they are falling apart, but water damage became more apparent the closer I got to the building I was supposed to be living in. I carried all my stuff up a flight of stairs, smiling slightly at the thought of finally being away from home.

“115...116...Ah, 117!” I stopped in front of the door and hastily pulled out the keys that were just given to me by the landlord, missing the hole several times before finally pushing in and twisting, unlocking the door. Pushing through the very creaky door, I was met with a very strong smell of musk. The scent was making my head spin. 

Suddenly everything went black.

My eyes fluttered open. Instead of being on a hardwood floor, I was on something really soft. My throat was burning with the musk scent, coughing was inevitable. I got up slowly and took in my surroundings. I was in a darkly lit bedroom, the only source of light was from a couple of candles on the nightstand. It was very tempting to just fall back asleep, the person who was at the doorway had other plans.

The man’s eyes were the first thing I noticed. Bright auburn slitted eyes bore into my own. Goosebumps appeared all over my arms, but looking away didn’t seem like an option. We just stared at each other for a good minute. I kept looking at the man’s appearance. Pretty lean and tall, dark hair, dressed like he was a CEO of some big law firm or something like that. Scales appearing around his neck and jaw area, maybe a lizard of some sort? The man cleared his throat but still kept his gaze on me. 

“My apologies, I didn’t realize my scent would be so overpowering for you.” He sighed and approached the bed slowly, making me scoot back into the headboard. I wasn’t scared or anything, so I’m not really sure why I tried to get away from him. Maybe it’s his presence that just seems so overpowering. 

“Then again, you are a human, so I can’t be too surprised.” The way he said human was so vile, it was as if poison left his lips. I quickly got out of the bed, almost tripping over the sheet, but I caught myself before just standing in the darkroom. 

“Who are you?” I finally spoke, but it was at a whisper since my throat was still burning.

“I could ask you the same thing, I don’t remember expecting a roommate,” he crossed his arms, looking at me up and down.

“I sort of expected to have one, but I wasn’t really sure,” I fixed my posture and tried my best to smile at him,” the names Kim Hongjoong and I guess I’m your new roommate!” I run my fingers through my blue hair out of nervousness. 

“Park Seonghwa…” his brows furrowed into a frown,” Don’t expect us to be buddies or anything small human.” I gulped and slowly walked towards his doorway. I nodded at him before slipping away from his room to look for my own. Luckily it was only right next to his and I walked in, seeing that all my stuff was already in it.

I flopped on top of the bare mattress and took a deep breath. The burning in my throat was fading, but still there. I pulled out my phone to check the time. The screen read 5:23. I was out for three hours. I groaned and checked all the missed calls and messages from my boyfriend.

Please tell me you got there safely

Joongie don’t tell me you got kidnapped

Hyung? Hyung!?

I sighed and called him back, listening to the phone ringing until he finally picked up.

“Joongie? Oh thank god you’re safe!” I heard sniffling from his end and guilt washed over me.

“I’m sorry Yunnie, I’ll explain everything at dinner alright? Pick me and we can go to a cafe near the campus, okay?” Yunho let out a disgruntled yes.

“Okay, I’ll pick you up soon, love you Hyung!”

“Love you too,” I hung up and tossed my phone to the side. Yunho was about 15 minutes away so I had some time to get ready. I looked through my bags for a different outfit before finally settling on one I was pleased with. It was simple, just a white collared shirt with a brown cardigan, paired with blue jeans, but it was still nice. I put on some boots, grabbed my keys and phone, and started walking out the door. 

I was however stopped by who I could assume was Seonghwa and I turned to look at him.

“Where are you going?” He stared at me again with those same intimidating eyes.

“I’m going to meet up with my boyfriend who thought I was dead for the past 3 hours,” I couldn’t help but chuckle but stopped as he kept looking at me. “Why do you need to know?” I stared right back at him.

“Was just wondering,” he let out a little huff, “I’ll be gone for the night, so don’t expect me to be home later.” I simply nodded at him before making my way out of the apartment, checking my phone every so often to distract myself from the odd encounter. I’m not really sure what to make of my new roommate. He seems so...Distant, but also caring, but then also cold, but then also-

“Hongie!” A voice pulled me out of my thoughts as I looked in the direction of the person. I smiled goofily as I realized who it was. The tall man engulfed me in a hug and started placing kisses all over my face.

“Yunnie you can chill out now,” I let out a giggle. Yunho frowned at me playfully, pouting as he did so.

“I thought I lost you, so you can’t blame me for kissing my almost dead boyfriend,” he snuggles into my neck before dragging me to his car and into the passenger seat and he got into the driver’s seat. I chuckled as he pulled me into another sweet kiss. I caressed the little flowers and plants in his vibrant pink hair before pulling away. 

“You better explain everything to me, okay?” I nodded as the car finally started. The car ride was mostly quiet, but it was more of comforting silence, nothing awkward about it, which was nice. His hand was placed on mine, rubbing it every now and then. Our hand size difference was comical, to say the least. My hands were super tiny compared to his, but the way his hand engulfs mine makes my ears go red. 

We made it to the cafe and he practically stumbled out in a hurry to open my door. I facepalmed but that hand was soon dragged out of the car. He wraps his arms around me protectively as we walk into the shop, the scent of coffee hitting my nose.

We quickly got a table by the window and he got up to order at the counter.

“One iced mocha with whipped cream and a ham and egg croissant with spinach added?” Yunho beams at me, I nodded at my boyfriend’s enthusiasm for remembering my usual and he proceeds to stand in the short line. Only a couple of minutes passed by when he finally came back with our food. As soon as he placed my food down in front of me, he stared curiously at me.

“Alright spill, what happened as soon as you got to your new place?” I rolled my eyes playfully at him and bit into my sandwich.

“Well, I met my new roommate. Don’t think it was the best first impression though, I mean he did find me laying on the floor-”

“Why were you on the floor, Hyung? Are you okay? Did that bastard do something to you-” I placed my finger on his lips before he came up with worse assumptions.

“I think it was just his strong scent that made me pass out, at least he didn’t just leave me on the floor and let me on his bed-” Yunho squinted his eyes at me at the statement.

“He let you, a stranger, into his bed?” He pouts, probably in jealousy. I sighed and ran my fingers through his hair, causing him to relax his muscles. “Alright, he was just being nice.” His pout turned into a smile again. “I’ve only heard that happen from those dragon hybrids, maybe that’s what he is.” I nodded at him, that was probably the only explanation as to what my new roommate was.

“I don’t think he likes me very much, he keeps scowling at me,” I sipped my mocha and Yunho just shook his head.

“I don’t think that’s it, I mean I feel like that’s just his face or something. Who wouldn’t like my small little hyung~” I groaned at the nickname but smiled at how highly my boyfriend thinks of me.

“Well what about you, Mr. Nymph, with your little cute hair sprouting my favorite flowers, my little Yunnie, my ray of sunshine, my little-” he shuts me up with a quick peck and I can tell how embarrassed he was.

“Gah!~ Okay I get it! Now let me take you home so you can get settled, and maybe befriend your roommate or something.” He groaned. I sighed and pulled Yunho up from the table.

“He said he wouldn’t be home tonight, stay and keep me company?” I looked up at him. Yunho just nodded and we made our way out of the cafe and back into his car. His hand was back on mine and I couldn’t help but smile at the warmth as I looked out the window.

We soon arrived at my apartment complex and I was expecting the strong musk that came from the dragon hybrid, but it was only faintly there, meaning he was probably already gone to do whatever the heck he was doing at night. It only smelled of some kind of wood, maybe pine, and I couldn’t help but let out a sigh.

Yunho must’ve sensed my distress and wrapped a comforting arm around my waist. I grinned at the contact and we made our way to my bedroom. I pushed through the door and looked at all the various boxes and bags and I had to unpack. He started trying to unpack my boxes, but I stopped him out of confusion. He looked up at me and gave a smile before continuing.

“Yunnie, it’s okay, I can unpack my stuff myself.” Yunho only kept going, carefully pulling out all my music equipment.

“I know damn well you’re going to hold off until the day before classes start and then you’ll get all stressed out for not having your room ready,” he gets up from the box and tucks some of my hair behind my ear before kissing my forehead. I looked up into his green eyes and couldn’t help but apologize.

“I’m sorry for making you worry”

“Don’t be, it’s my job to worry, you’re only human after all,” He smiles wide before going back to unpacking. I stood where I was at for a good minute, just staring at my beloved before I bent down to help him. The gesture was thoughtful, but he’s pretty clumsy, and I wasn’t trying to get my expensive equipment damaged before the school year started. 

After about an hour, my bedroom actually looked like a bedroom, with personal touches of plants thanks to Yunho and from myself with the many paintings around the room. I finished putting up the last painting when I heard a flop on my newly made bed. I turned around to see Yunho, probably exhausted from all the work, on the bed, looking half asleep.

I couldn’t help but coo at my cute and sleepy boyfriend before going over to him to plop right next to him. I wrapped my arms around his waist, burying my head in his chest as his eyes threatened to close.

“Your roommate is going to assume things if I stay here,” Yunho mumbled into my hair.

“You wanna make those assumptions into a reality?” I try my best not to laugh as his face turns a bright red.

“So shameless!” He pushes me away before entangling our limbs again. “Just go to sleep already Hyung,” he whispers before closing his eyes again. I just smile and rest my arms around him before going into a comfortable sleep. Hopefully, I can just talk with that Park Seonghwa in the morning to sort things out since we barely even talked.

Yeah no he didn’t come back for a morning talk.


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you are confused, school doesn't start in Korea until March. Hope that kind of clarifies the weather. Hope you enjoy the chapter!

It was bright and early in the morning when I woke up. I felt a lump right next to me but then realized that Yunho stayed the night with me. I completely forgot since I was ready to attack whoever the heck was right next to me. I slowly got out of bed before a hand was grabbing at my shirt. I turned to see a half-asleep Yunho, probably wanting morning cuddles as he usually does. I rolled my eyes jokingly before jumping right on top of the tallboy, wrapping my arms around his frame. He responds by crushing my tiny frame and we stay like that for a while.

After a couple of minutes, I slowly tried getting out but was met with a groan of disapproval. I eventually did slip away and landed half standing on one side of the bed.

“Yunnie, I have to go prepare breakfast-” Yunho quickly got out of bed and started heading towards the kitchen. I followed after him with a pout on my lips. “I don’t cook that bad-”

“Hyung, I love you, but you can’t cook. Remember you almost burned down Chan and Felix’s apartment?” I grimace at the memory. Chan was a human just like me who was also going into the same major as me. Felix was his boyfriend but was a werewolf instead. I’ve known Chan since high school, but not Felix. It was basically like a stranger coming into their home and trying to burn it down, so I don’t blame him for wanting to attack me. Luckily Chan held him down, trying to calm.

Anyway, I knew from that point forward that Yunho would hardly let me into the kitchen, let alone make something other than instant meals, which he doesn’t want me eating either since they are “unhealthy”. I sighed and made my way to the counter, which had a couple of stools so we could just eat at the counter and not at the kinda broken looking dining table.

I watched Yunho make a simple breakfast of eggs and pancakes. Simple, yes, but it smelled amazing. The whole thing right now felt very domestic, which wasn’t weird, but it was odd and maybe even interesting to think about. I’ve been with Yunho since we were children, but didn’t start dating until high school when he confessed to me. A human and any other being relationship was still slightly frowned upon, so when I told my parents, they weren’t exactly welcoming. I think they finally accepted it, but only because I knew Yunho my whole life.

I was so lost in thought that I didn’t notice a plate being placed in front of me. I finally snapped out of it when a worried-looking Yunho was staring at me.

“Ah sorry, just thinking,” I half smiled at him before shoveling food into my mouth to avoid further questions. Yunho just shook his head and took a seat right next to me and started eating his food. After a bit, there was silence. Nothing awkward, just silence, and maybe the little clank of forks on plates.

“So where is your roommate? Does he not eat?” Yunho finally spoke up. I just shrugged. Truthfully, I had no idea, not that it mattered. He made it pretty clear that he didn’t want to get to know me, therefore I’ll return the favor.

“Doing whatever Dragon hybrids do I guess.” I have no idea what that meant. Yunho just nodded, probably understanding that I don’t have a clue.

“Hmm. Anyway, we start school next week so we’ll be pretty busy,” he looked at me sadly. Yunho was a dance major and was in the college’s dance team. Meaning most of his time will be spent either in the dance studio or in the huge gym practicing for performances. And even though it started next week, Yunho had to be there tomorrow to start preparing.

“But please text me or call me if you need anything, I’ll try my very best Joongie.” I looked at him and laced my fingers into his.

“Don’t worry, I’ll probably be preoccupied with my own work,” I kissed his hand softly. I was a music major and while that shouldn’t take up as much time as Yunho would with his major, I was a perfectionist, to say the least. I’d work late nights and even go into the morning back in highschool. I eventually had to limit it down a bit because it was not fun waking up with a crick in the neck. Plus, Yunho was worried for my health and I’d hate to disappoint him.

“I know, just don’t overdo it like you always do,” he sighed before getting out of his seat, taking both our plates and placing them in the sink. After washing them, he walked over to me and gave a small kiss on my forehead.

“I have to go meet up with the team for a bit, maybe go hang out with Chan or even Yubin for today?” I nodded at his suggestions. Yunho picked up his stuff, which wasn’t a lot, and started putting on his shoes. I got up as well and put on some sneakers before grabbing my keys and phone.

“I’ll drop you off,” He just nodded at me before we started making our way to his car. I sat in the passenger seat and he quickly went into the driver's seat. The car ride to the university was a little awkward and the tension was pretty thick. We both knew we’d be too busy to see each other as often as we would have liked but the reality was finally settling in. I stroked the little flowers in his hair and he smiled at the contact. The flowers were apple blossoms, meant to symbolize peace or something like that. I’m not sure why they were my favorite, but they give me a sense of calm.

We soon arrived at the university and Yunho seemed a little hesitant to leave the car, so I got out first and met him at the driver’s side, opening his door for him. I held out my hand and he took it with a sad smile.

“Yunnie you’re acting like we’re breaking up,” He just hugged me super tight and I let out a small laugh. I held his face and went on my tiptoes to kiss him. He held my waist and we stayed there for a bit, just enjoying the moment for as long as we could possibly hold it.

Yunho finally broke away and checked his phone. He sighed and gave me one last hug before going to his trunk to retrieve his dance bag.

“Sorry, I have to go, but let's go on a date sometime soon?” I nodded at him and watched him leave into the gymnasium. He seemed unsure about that request, but I tried my best to ignore it. I pulled out my phone and went through my contacts list, seeing who I could hang out with right now. I kept scrolling until I finally landed on someone who could be free right now. I pressed the little phone button and listened to the ringing. The line ringed a couple times before they finally picked up.

“Hongjoong? Well this a nice surprise, I thought you were dead already.” The person chuckled.

“Haha very funny Chan,” I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help but smile at his voice.

“I’m serious, we haven’t talked since graduation,” I couldn’t see him but I bet he was pouting.

“Anyway, did you want to hang out right now? I got nothing better to do at the moment.” I paused a bit, thinking of somewhere before finally speaking again,” The cafe right next to the campus sounds good to you?”

“Yeah sure, I’ll meet you there in 10 minutes.” Chan agreed and I hung up. It really has been a while since I actually saw some of my friends from high school. I was so busy with my part-time job at this music store that I’m surprised Yunho is still with me with how much I ignored him during the summer. He told me it was fine, but I know he was trying to make me feel better.

I began heading to the cafe. It wasn’t a long walk so I couldn’t complain. The scenery was really nice and the breeze felt great. I eventually arrived at the cafe and walked in to see Chan sitting at a table already.

“Did I keep you waiting long?” I approached him with a little bounce in my step.

“I just got here, don’t worry,” he smiles at me as I take a seat across from him,” So, it’s been a while hasn’t it?”

I nodded, looking down a bit as I felt kind of guilty about my work ethic. Chan just ruffled my hair and gave me a reassuring smile. I sighed a bit before looking at Chan fully. He was always patient with everyone so I should be very grateful to have someone like him in my life.

“Yeah it has, I haven’t talked really with anyone in our friend group except for Yunho.”

“We should all hang out sometime soon, they do ask about you from time to time.” Our friend group in high school consisted of many people from similar cliques of the school. Chan, myself, and Geonhak were into music writing and production. Yunho, Yubin, Hwanwoong, and Felix were the dancers. Finally, Siyeon, Seoho, and Seungmin were more of the singers in the group.

“Yeah, we should have a party or something, not sure when I’m free though,” I chuckled, rubbing the back of my head. “So, how are you and Felix doing? Still having problems with his howling at night?” Chan was a human just like I was, but Felix, his boyfriend, is a werewolf who has a terrible habit of howling at night. I think they almost broke up because of the problem, but they are still together luckily.

“Ah, he managed to control it better, but when it’s a full moon,” Chan shuddered at the thought and I don’t blame him. Usually, werewolves were supposed to go to a designated spot in the forest with their pack during full moons to howl together. However, Felix was packless, so he had to spend it on their balcony, which I can imagine was stressful for the two of them.

“At least it’s getting better!” I tried to be a little optimistic. He only smiled at my attempt, which was enough for me.

We chatted for a couple more hours, catching up and learning what was new and whatnot. I never mentioned my new roommate to him, or rather, not in great detail to him. I’d rather not bug someone with my problems...If you can even call it that. Anyway, it was getting dark so we decided to start leaving, with the promise of hanging out next week with more friends.

  
I left the cafe and started walking towards Yunho’s car to wait for him. He’s supposed to be leaving his meeting pretty soon so I shouldn’t have to wait too long. I sat on a bench near the car and pulled out my phone to scroll a bit through my music. Finally picking something, I put in my headphones and listened to the beats I created.

I closed my eyes to fully immerse myself in the music, taking notes of possible changes I could make to it before letting out a long sigh. The weather was getting warmer, but it was still cold enough for me to hug my hoodie tighter to my body and stuff my small hands into my pockets. I was so deep in thought that I didn’t notice something tapping me on the shoulder.

I opened my eyes, expecting to see my boyfriend, but to my surprise:

_It was my roommate_

“What are you doing out here?”


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I haven't posted in a couple of weeks, life's been busy so I couldn't write/edit for a bit. So here it is! I am so happy that ATEEZ got two awards from MAMA this year, ty to everyone who voted.
> 
> Okay enough of me rambling, here's chapter three, I apologize if it isn't the best :)

I took off my headphones rather clumsily as I looked up at my roommate who was standing in front of me. Can’t say I was expecting him, but then again, I wasn’t sure what to think of him. His hair barely covered those piercing eyes I suspect are from being a dragon hybrid. His outfit was interesting for a college student to wear. Long black trench coat with a black collared shirt and a black tie. Oh my god, my roommate is either goth or emo-

  
  


“Are you going to keep staring at me or answer my question?” He snapped. I nodded before standing to meet his gaze.

  
  


“I’m waiting for my boyfriend, what are you doing here?” I tilted my head at him. Seonghwa looked conflicted. I wasn’t sure if that was because he didn’t expect me to ask or if he just doesn’t know how to answer the question. 

  
  


“None of your concern,” He finally spoke. He murmured something else but I couldn’t quite catch that, but I just rolled my eyes at his previous statement. “Look I didn’t mean to come off as...harsh as I did, I’m just conflicted at the moment,” Seonghwa sighed out. I merely tilted my head at the hybrid. I did not expect him to share anything with me since we were barely strangers. His facial expressions kept changing between a hardened glare to something a little softer.

“Did you want to talk about it?” I finally spoke out.

“I’d rather not concern yourself over my problems, little human.” He crossed his arms.

“Okay, but you asked me what I was doing here, I think it’s only fair that you answer too,” I raise an eyebrow at him. He looked down at his feet, playing with the scales that surrounded the back of his hand before sighing which I can only assume was defeat. He sits on the same bench as me, keeping his distance as he was on the furthest side from me.

“Look, I’m a private detective and the case I have currently isn’t going all that well since I have no idea of how to proceed.” He ran his hands through his messy unkempt hair, most likely not taking better care of himself. Kinda like me, I smile lightly to myself. “I didn’t mean to snoop around your personal space, but I couldn’t help but notice that you seem to be into music production.”

“And what does that have to do with your case and well, me,” I eyed him suspiciously.

“Look, the case involves some audio files and I wanted to ask if you could help me, that is why I’m here,” He finally answers. 

  
  


Well, that certainly makes sense. However, one question still stands: How in the world did he find me? Before I could ask that, it seems he is one step ahead of me because the next thing he says:

“I overheard you and Yunho talking, not my fault my senses are heightened,” He gives a little shrug, “So will you help me?”

I see my boyfriend coming out of the gym with his dance bag looking exhausted from hours of nonstop dancing. I stood up abruptly to look at him before looking down back at Seonghwa.

“Let me think about it if you don’t mind.” He nodded and I walked away from the man and soon ran into the arms of Yunho, who was caught a little off guard. He kissed my forehead gently before taking a hold of my hand as we made our way to his car. I climbed into the passenger seat, taking one look at Seonghwa before out of the opposite side window. Yunho looked at me confusingly but I just smiled at him.

“I’ll explain later,” I assured him. He just nodded at me before starting up the car, driving us back to my apartment. I held his hand the whole way through, just to feel a little bit of calming warmth that I would always get from those big hands of his. Even before we started dating, the warmth coming from Yunho has always been my favorite. I guess you could call us soulmates. Destined to always be each other's comfort no matter the relationship status between the two people.

The slight squeeze on my hand brings me back to reality as I realize we were in front of my building. Yunho gave me a tired smile as I began unbuckling my seat belt. I pecked his lips before exiting the car.

“Did you want me to stay with you again?” Yunho asked in a whisper.

“I’ll be alright, I think I have some things to think about,” I gave him a hopefully not very worrying smile before going up the flight of stairs that would lead to my apartment. I opened the door and walked inside the empty place. I’d be surprised if my roommate showed up first, but it looked like he had some business to take of before heading home. I went into my room and let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding before settling onto my chair next to the desk. It was full of music equipment.

I spent a couple of hours just finishing setting up all my equipment and loading up all my music files which I had saved previously before moving. Luckily, everything was saved safely and nothing is missing or corrupted. After all that, I finally put on my headphones and got to work creating.

The whole music-making process is never easy. However, it is fun and comforting for me, even though I do tend to overdo it most of the time. Call me a perfectionist, but every time I do manage to finish a piece, I’ll always manage to find something to nitpick at and just never be satisfied.

I know Yunho is nagging me in the back of my mind. He always says my music is amazing and good and I always love him for the encouraging words. So I’m not sure why I never seem to fully like my stuff.

I checked my phone for the time.  _ 1:34  _ it read. I sighed and put my phone away. 

“I really should be going to bed soon, but maybe just a little longer-”

Suddenly the front door slammed open, making me jump out of my seat. Footsteps neared my door and I was holding my breath, hoping it was just my roommate. A couple of knocks sounded through the room. I walked up to the door and opened it up hesitantly to see Seonghwa looking a little rough. His already messy hair was everywhere, dirt stains were evident on his black clothing, and small scratches were on his cheeks.

“Geez did you fight a bear or something?” 

“If it was a bear it wouldn’t have left a dent on me,” He scoffed. 

“Did you want to come in or something?” I rolled my eyes. He just nodded and I let him in. We sat on my bed and I lightly dusted off some of the dirt off his clothing before he jerked away from my hand. I shook my head, “So what did you want?”

“I’m here to see if you’ll agree to work with me for this case,” Seonghwa stared blankly at me.

“Fine, I guess I will. It’ll give me something else to do with my life,” I laughed dryly.

“Excellent, I’ll let you know more information tomorrow, you better rest, I can see your eye bags,” He calmly got up and left my room, leaving me pouting before I actually got up to change into something a little more comfortable. I slipped into bed, texted Yunho a little goodnight, and let sleep take me.

  
  


_ A raspy voice spoke, “Shhh don’t be afraid. Everything will come in due time” _

_ “Who are you?” I was standing in the darkness, or maybe even floating, I wasn’t sure. I tried walking around but my footsteps felt so heavy that I just decided to stay put. _

_ “Hongjoong, for who I am is not important, what I am however is something you should consider.” _

_ “I don’t understand-” I felt myself sinking into the ground. I desperately try pushing myself out but to no avail. Screaming was only an option, but the sound that came out was an ear-splitting screech. My whole body was shaking and it felt all weirdly moist everywhere. _

_ A figure walked up to me as I was still slowly sinking. A big no so friendly grin was the only thing I can make out. _

_ “Silly boy, I will find you again, and this time, I won’t be so lenient.” It approached me closer and closer- _

My eyes shot open and I coughed up violently. I checked the time on my phone, which read  _ 7:23 _ . I slept more than I usually did, so that was good at least. That dream though, I have never had one like it before, yet the figure in it seemed like it knew me. I shook the thought and got out of bed, sleepily walking towards the kitchen to get something to eat.

To my surprise, Seonghwa was already there, drinking what appeared to be some kind of red liquid from a bag. He turned to look at me, noticing my confusion, rolled his eyes.

“It’s not blood if that’s what you're thinking. It’s just something Dragon hybrids need to take to keep our transformations in check.” I nodded at his answer before grabbing myself an apple. After washing and peeling the sticker off of it, I started biting into it, savoring the sweetness of it.

“Meet me in my room when you’re done so we can get started,” the hybrid soon left the kitchen and disappeared into the hallway that led to our rooms. I took a couple more bites of the apple before throwing it away. I made my way to Seonghwa’s room, the scent of musk was still in the air, but it wasn’t as strong as the first time I smelled it.

I went through the door to see him standing in front of his bookcase. He pulled on a book and the bookcase opened, revealing another room inside.

“How-”

“I have some wizard friends who helped, now come, we have no time to waste.” I followed him through the book door thing, whatever it was, and the room inside was the same size as my own room. Walls were covered with cork boards, newspapers, pictures, and lots and lots of handwriting that was probably in another language. 

Seonghwa led me to a big table that was filled with more pictures and a big computer, which I can only assume has digital reports of things.

“Now normally I wouldn’t have a helper, but this case really just stumped me,” He pulls out a folder and hands it to me. I open it and read the report:

_ Han Jisung _

_ Age 20 _

_ Last seen on 3/12/20 _

The rest of the document just gave insight on his species (Which was a ghost), last known whereabouts, and any evidence that could be useful, which wasn’t a whole lot.

“Usually, missing person’s cases are relatively easy to do for me, but the only thing I was able to really find was this audio file,” He gestured towards the computer. I step in front of it to take a look at it. I used the mouse to navigate and eventually hit play. The sound that came out was irritable, to say the least. Jumbled words were spoken, sounds of crashing and booming, but also rain was present in the recording.

I shivered after it ended. 

“I don’t understand, how can someone kidnap a ghost? Won’t they just go right through?”

“That’s the thing, there are not that many creatures that can actually touch a ghost,” He pulled a couple of sheets, pointing at the possible species the suspect could’ve been. “Witches and wizards could easily use some kind of spell to do it, but that’d be too easy, banshees, while I don’t know too much about them, can, in fact, touch them.” Seonghwa sighs.

I thought for a bit, but then a light bulb lit up in my head.

“I know a banshee, I can ask him some questions if you want,” I looked up at Seonghwa for approval. He just nodded and I sighed a bit. “In the meantime, I’ll see what I can decipher, do you have this on a flash drive or disc somewhere-” He practically shoved a flash drive into my hand. I stood up awkwardly and made my way out of the door,” If you need me for anything else, just ask.” I did a small wave and left his room and went to mine.

I sat at my desk once again and looked at the black flash drive sitting in my hand. I couldn’t exactly put my finger on it, but just feeling this drive gave me shivers, goosebumps appearing on my arms. Let's hope nothing bad happens.

_ I shouldn’t have spoken so soon. _

  
  
  



	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tw// Blood, Violence, Major character Injury

My eyes hazily open up. Everything hurts. I look at my side to see violent looking scratches all over my legs and arms. Blood seeping through my clothes. I look around at my surroundings and see nothing but trees and more trees. I groan as I try rubbing my head, hair probably caked with dry blood. I pushed myself off a nearby rock to try and get up. A sharp pain shoots up into my leg, but I managed to stand to the best of my ability.

“Seonghwa!” I look around for any sign of the hybrid.

_ No response _

“Seonghwa I swear if you left me here-” A screech is heard in the distance. My eyes widen at that and I run in that direction to find the source of the noise though I have a feeling I know what or  _ who  _ it was.

Now you are probably wondering what the heck is happening right now. Well let’s go back a bit, shall we?

_ 15 hours ago _

It has been a couple of days since I agreed to help my roommate out with a case he was working on. I don’t know what to think of him really yet. Any attempts at a small talk from my part were greatly ignored by the older man, so I kind of stopped trying. Like he can be a pretentious asshole all he wants, but at least I can say I’ve been friendly.

Anyway, I’m currently meeting up with my boyfriend who asked me to meet him at the usual cafe that I just keep going to for some reason. I’m here pretty early, so I occupy myself by listening to some music. A couple of minutes pass by and I see the familiar pink hair walk in through the door. I wave at him with a huge smile to know where I was. Yunho makes his way to my table, eventually taking a seat right next to me.

“So what did you want to talk about?” I turned to look at him, taking my headphones off.

“I’ll just get straight to the point, I think we should break up.” I choked on the coffee I had started violently coughing it up.

“What? Why?” I took his hands into mine and looked into his eyes pleadingly. He kisses my hands gently before putting them down.

“I just…” He trails off, taking a deep breath before continuing,” Keep seeing you as my brother and best friend, I’m sorry,” Yunho chokes up on the last words. I quickly rub my thumbs across the forming tears in his eyes. My own threatening to fall down as he quickly embraces me, burying my head into his chest. I wanted so badly to place all the blame on him. To scream and maybe hurt him. What would that solve though? 

“I-I don’t want to scream and yell at you even if I feel like it, I-”

“I wouldn’t blame you if you did,” he weakly laughs,” I’ll always be here for you, I still care about you so much  _ my treasure _ .” My eyes widen at the nickname. He hasn’t called me that in so long that I almost forgot it.

“We’ll still be friends, you better not make this awkward you idiot,” I wiped my eyes as I gave Yunho a small smile. He returns it, trying his best to keep it up. At this point, I take a look at his hair. The usual apple blossoms that would decorate his hair slowly fell onto my lap until there were only small branches left. I picked up the flowers, carefully placing one into his hair. I kept one and placed it into my pocket.

“I know we aren’t together anymore, but is skinship still fine? I still like holding you and stuff,” He shyly asks. I laugh a bit before nodding. He then starts holding my hand gently, sighing as he did it. I wasn’t always one for skinship, but Yunho always made it so comforting that I’d slowly ease into it with my other friends.

Soon any sadness that was there was slowly fading away. It was replaced with laughter and smiles that I could only ever hope for. I wasn’t sure, but I think I always had a feeling this day would come. I’m just glad we can still be friends and it was probably for the best anyway.

“So what have you been up to lately?” Yunho tilts his head at me. Oh yeah, I didn’t tell him yet about the whole detective thing.

“Ah well actually, Seonghwa is a detective and he asked for my help for a case he was working on.”

“Don’t tell me you are fighting bad guys Hyung, you’re just a fragile human,” he looked at me worryingly. I shook my head.

“Only had to help decipher an audio file, but I think I need to talk with Yubin.”

“Huh, why?”

“Well our case is maybe dealing with a banshee, and since he is one, I thought I’d ask him some questions.” Yunho nodded at me. Lee Yubin, one of our old friends from high school. A very promising rapper who goes by the stage name Dami is part Banshee but grew up in a family full of them so hopefully, I can get some insight on how they work or behave from her. 

My phone buzzes and I check to see who it was.  _ Park Seonghwa  _ the ID read.

_ ‘Meet me at the apartment as soon as you can’ _

I’m not even going to question how he got my number and just shook at my head, trying not to think about it. I turned to look at Yunho, who seemed a little curious as to what happened.

“Seonghwa needs me for something, he wasn’t very specific though…” Yunho gives me a worried look so I give him the biggest hug my small body could give. I nuzzled into his neck as he returned the hug. “Don’t worry Yunnie, I’ll be careful.”

He kissed my forehead as a sign of understanding before letting go,” You better be careful, now go see what that dragon wants with ya.” He gives me a grin as I leave his warmth and walk out into the cool almost spring air. I walked to my car that was parked out front and I slid into the driver’s seat. As soon as the car door closed, my tears started rolling down my cheek.

I rested my head against the steering wheel, trying my best to do deep and slow breaths to calm myself down. Yunho,  _ my Yunnie,  _ just thought of me as a brother for who knows how long. For some reason  _ it just makes sense.  _ Like as if I knew it was going to happen eventually. Maybe I felt the same way?

I wiped my eyes and combed through my vibrant blue hair, took one last deep breath, and started up the car. I drove in silence, my thoughts occupying the space instead. I tried my best to not think negatively about the whole thing. Sure, there weren’t exactly too many positives, but at least Yunho is still my best friend, and that’s all I could hope for.

_ “Yunnie!” A small pout was formed along my chubby cheeks. I made grabby motions towards the bright pink-haired male. _

_ “Hyung I was gone for 10 minutes, mommy needed me for things,” the boy smiled at me. I kept pouting though, not satisfied with the answer. He just rolled his eyes and got closer to me before lifting me. _

_ “Darn you with your tall everything,” I huffed but made no effort to leave his grasp. _

_ “Are you mad at me hyungie?” I nodded, not looking at him in the eye. He just laughed, which made me furrow my eyebrows more. He kissed the top of my forehead and looked at me,” I will always be here for you okay? I’ll be your best friend forever Joongie,” He ruffles my hair and sets me down. _

_ “You better keep that promise, I won’t forgive you if you don’t,” I wrapped my tiny arms around him and he returned the hug. _

_ “I promise” _

I smiled at the memory. 10 year old me was so clingy towards Yunho and I don’t blame him. He was his only friend and was too shy to make any more until high school. 

I didn’t realize I was already at the apartment complex until I nearly ran into the parking bumper right in front of my building. I sighed and got out of the car and headed up into my apartment. I opened the door to Seonghwa pacing around the living room.

“Uh what are you-” I started, but the look he gave me made me stop talking. I just waited until he finally said anything.

“Ah, there you are-” He looked at me strangely and then walked towards me, taking a small sniff of me. “Have you been crying? You smell salty.”

“Oh, my boyfriend just uh...Broke up with me,” I looked down at my feet awkwardly before quickly saying,” We’re still friends though…” I cleared my throat. Seonghwa kept looking at me in maybe pity before it hardened into a more unreadable expression.

“Right...Anyway, I called your friend to meet us somewhere and she provided an address, are you willing to go with me?”

“Uh yeah, we can take my car if you want.” He just nods and we make our way out the door and to my car. Seonghwa slides in the passenger’s seat and I hop right into the driver’s. He puts the address into his phone and I just drive, listening to whatever directions the app was giving me. The car ride, except for the GPS voice, was mostly silent. The musk surrounding Seonghwa will surely make my car smell like him for a while.

The destination was pretty far away. Further, then I thought it would’ve been. So far it's been 20 minutes and we still have another 30 to go. The silence was really off-putting for me so I just decided to turn on my speaker and play my own music. Seonghwa looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

“Isn’t that distracting for you?” I just shook my head and rolled my eyes. I could hear a small huff before there was nothing but music playing. The occasional ‘turn right’ or ‘turn left’ was heard and I mindlessly followed the directions.

The music playing right now was something I have been working on for a while. I named it  _ Thank u _ . I don’t really have lyrics for it yet, only the instrumental, but so far it sounds close to how I have envisioned it in my head. I hummed along to it, thinking of tweaks I could add to certain beats. I spaced out a little too much that I didn’t notice the GPS saying “You have arrived at your destination” 

I stopped the car and leaned against the headrest. Seonghwa gave a look, but I ignored him. Instead, I focused on where exactly we were. The car was parked in front of an abandoned-looking house that was surrounded by what seemed to be a forest. I got out and looked around. There was nothing else and the closest neighbor had to be at least 5 miles away.

Truth be told, even though Yubin was in our friend group, I didn’t know too much about her, other than that she was an amazing rapper and that was it. Seonghwa appeared beside me.

“You ready to go in?” He asked.

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” I gave a dry laugh before we started making our way to the front door. I knock on it first and not even a second later, it opens by itself. I looked at Seonghwa and he looked at me back. He sighed and pushed through the door. “Hey isn’t this trespassing-”

Seonghwa put a finger to his lips, signaling me to be quiet and I nodded. I don’t really like the idea of breaking and entering but I mean the door was open, so maybe we were supposed to go through it?

I sighed and took a look around the house. It was mostly empty, save for a few cobwebs in the corners and a couple of rats hissing about. Nothing too weird considering it is supposed to be abandoned. I stepped onto the floor of the house and it creaked instantly. I flinched but continued with my steps. I was following behind Seonghwa, who seemed unfazed with the eeriness of it all.

“Miss Yubin, are you here?” He called out. As suspected, there was no response. “Stay behind me Hongjoong,” he said in a low whisper. I just nodded and kept following him. I looked more around my surroundings as we approached each room in the house. I could hear a frustrated sigh come from the hybrid after we checked the last room upstairs.

“Should I text her? I’m sure I have her number somewhe-”

“No need, isn’t that her right there?” Seonghwa was at a window and pointed outside the glass. I walked up next to him to see as well and sure enough, there was Yubin. She was sitting on the porch, looking out into the forest.

“Yeah, that’s her...She should’ve heard us though, what is she doing?” No need to wait for an answer because as soon as I said that, her head shot up at the window we were looking through. She looks...regretful? Suddenly, she mouthed what I think was  _ Sorry,  _ which confused me even more. Sorry? Sorry for what?

Soon, the house started shaking and I didn’t have time to think before Seonghwa grabbed my wrist and ran out towards where the front door was supposed to be. It wasn’t there though.

“Crap, okay hold on to me.” I quickly did as he said, wrapping my arms around his waist and holding as tight as I can. Seonghwa then sprouted these huge black and green wings and started running towards a nearby window. I didn’t have time to question his actions when jumped through it and glided towards the ground. I buried my head in his back to avoid looking down at the ground. 

I dared to take a peek and all I saw was trees. I felt myself slipping from Seonghwa’s waist and before I could do anything, I slipped off. He tried grabbing for me but it was too late, I was falling and everything seemed to stop. The look of horror on Seonghwa’s face was the last thing I saw.

_ Then everything went black. _


	5. NOT AN UPDATE (Self Promo)

So I don’t like doing things like this AND IM SORRY THIS ISNT AN UPDATE please don’t attack :(

So I’ve put this Story on hold because I didn’t want to burn out from it right away! So I created a oneshot series where people give me a song and an ATEEZ ship and I just create a oneshot based off the song!

If you can support that’d be amazing! I already have a lot of requests, but if you really want to request something, go ahead’

I already have one out right now (it’s pretty depressing I’m sorry)

I will continue this story in a couple months, I just want to work on something else for a while. 

Sorry this isn’t an update again! Love you all and ty for supporting this book :)


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